Packaged products including a personal care medium and a non-flammable volatile agent stored within an aerosol container

ABSTRACT

A packaged product includes a personal care medium, a propellant, and an aerosol container. The personal care medium and the propellant are stored with the aerosol container. At least one of the personal care medium and the propellant includes a non-flammable volatile agent that includes one or more organofluorine compounds. The one or more organofluorine compounds may include one or more trifluoropropene compounds, one or more tetrafluoropropene compounds, and/or one or more pentafluoropropane compounds.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/726,073, filed Nov. 14, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety for reference.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Technical Field

Aspects of the present invention generally relate to packaged products, and more particularly relate to packaged products that include a personal care medium and a non-flammable volatile agent stored within an aerosol container.

2. Background Information

It is known to provide a packaged product that includes a personal care medium (e.g., a sunscreen medium, a tanning medium, a shaving aid medium, etc.) and a volatile agent stored within an aerosol container. The volatile agent may be included in the packaged product as a component of a propellant that aids in dispensing the personal care medium from the aerosol container. The volatile agent may additionally or alternatively be included in the packaged product to admix with the personal care medium to form an admixture having certain characteristics. The volatile agent typically is flammable. The use of a flammable volatile agent in a packaged product may be problematic for one or more reasons. For example, a packaged product that includes a flammable volatile agent stored within an aerosol container may be subject to government regulations that limit the size of the aerosol container, or that limit the types of materials that the aerosol container may be made of. It would be desirable to provide a packaged product that includes a personal care medium and a non-flammable volatile agent stored within an aerosol container, which packaged product achieves the same or similar results as a packaged product that includes a personal care medium and a flammable volatile agent stored within an aerosol container. Aspects of the present invention are directed to these and other problems.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present invention, a packaged product is provided that includes a personal care medium, a propellant, and an aerosol container. The personal care medium and the propellant are stored within the aerosol container. At least one of the personal care medium and the propellant includes a non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a packaged product is provided that includes an aerosol container, a personal care medium, and a propellant. The aerosol container has at least a first reservoir and a second reservoir. The first reservoir and the second reservoir are fluidly separated by a barrier. The personal care medium is stored within the first reservoir of the aerosol container. The propellant is stored within the second reservoir of the aerosol container. The personal care medium includes a first non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound. The propellant includes a second non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in light of the drawings and detailed description of the present invention provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first packaged product embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second packaged product embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a third packaged product embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, the present disclosure describes several embodiments of a packaged product. In each embodiment, the packaged product includes at least an aerosol container, a personal care medium, and a propellant.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first packaged product embodiment. In FIG. 1, the packaged product 10 includes a container 12 having an amount of a propellant 14 and an amount of a personal care medium 16 stored therein. In FIG. 1, the container 12 is a piston barrier aerosol container, which is a type of aerosol container that is known in the art. The present invention is not limited to use with piston barrier aerosol containers; other types of aerosol containers may alternatively be used. Examples of other acceptable aerosol containers include bag-on-valve barrier aerosol containers, bag-in-can barrier aerosol containers, and non-barrier aerosol containers, all of which are types of aerosol containers that are known in the art. Although piston barrier aerosol containers are known in the art, the container 12 is described in some detail below in order to illustrate some of the features of the packaged product 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, the container 12 includes a cylindrical body portion 18, a bottom end portion 20, and a top end portion 22. The bottom end portion 20 and the top end portion 22 are connected to the body portion 18 at seams 24 and 26, respectively. A valve 28 attached to the top end portion 22 of the container 12 is configured to dispense the personal care medium 16 stored within the container 12. The valve 28 is selectively actuatable between a closed position and an open position by depressing and releasing a nozzle 30. The body portion 18 of the container 12 at least partially defines a bottom reservoir 32 and a top reservoir 34. The volumes of the bottom reservoir 32 and the top reservoir 34 can vary depending on the size of the container 12. For example, the bottom and top reservoirs 32, 34 may collectively define a volume that ranges from approximately sixty (60) milliliters (i.e., approximately two (2) ounces) to approximately three hundred fifty (350) milliliters (i.e., approximately twelve (12) ounces). The bottom and top reservoirs 32, 34 are fluidly separated from one another by a piston 36. The piston 36 may be described as being a barrier between the bottom and top reservoirs 32, 34. The piston 36 is moveable within the container 12 along an axis 38 that extends in a direction between the bottom end portion 20 and the top end portion 22 of the container 12. Each component of the container 12 may be made from aluminum, steel, plastic, or any other material acceptable for use with an aerosol container. The propellant 14 is stored within the bottom reservoir 32 of the container 12, and the personal care medium 16 is stored within the top reservoir of the container 12. The propellant 14 and the personal care medium 16 will be described below.

During manufacture of the packaged product 10, the personal care medium 16 is introduced into the top reservoir 34 of the container 12 at a pressure that may range, for example, from approximately one hundred eight (108) kPa (i.e., approximately one (1) psig) to approximately one hundred seventy (170) kPa (i.e., approximately ten (10) psig). Thereafter, the propellant 14 is introduced into the bottom reservoir 32 of the container 12 at a pressure that may range, for example, from approximately three hundred eight (308) kPa (i.e., approximately thirty (30) psig) to approximately four hundred forty-six (446) kPa (i.e., approximately fifty (50) psig). The valve 28 is in the closed position when the propellant 14 is introduced into the bottom reservoir 32 of the container 12. As a result, an imbalance in the forces on opposing sides 40, 42 of the piston 36 may cause the piston 36 to move along the axis 38 of the container 12 until an equilibrium state is reached; i.e., until forces on opposing sides 40, 42 of the piston 36 are equal to one another. During use of the packaged product 10, the user may selectively open the valve 28 (e.g., by depressing the nozzle 30) to dispense the personal care medium 16. When the valve 28 is opened, an imbalance in the forces on opposing sides 40, 42 of the piston 36 causes the piston 36 to move in a direction towards the top end portion 22 of the container 12, thereby dispensing the personal care medium 16 through the nozzle 30, until an equilibrium state is again reached. Each time the user selectively reopens the valve 28, the piston 36 moves further towards the top end portion 22 of the container 12, until the piston 36 encounters a mechanical stop, or until the pressure within the bottom reservoir 32 of the container 12 substantially equals atmospheric pressure.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the propellant 14 includes a non-flammable volatile agent. The term “non-flammable” is used herein to describe a material or a combination of materials that is completely non-flammable when mixed with air in any concentration. For example, a mixture that is one percent (1%) non-flammable volatile agent by volume and ninety-nine percent (99%) air by volume will be completely non-flammable, as will a mixture that is ninety-nine percent (99%) non-flammable volatile agent by volume and one percent (1%) air by volume. The term “volatile” is used herein to describe a material or a combination of materials with a high vapor pressure at normal temperatures. The term “volatile” is not used herein to indicate that a material or a combination of materials is in a particular phase; e.g., depending on environmental factors (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), the non-flammable volatile agent may be in the form of a liquid, a solid, or a gas. In some embodiments, the propellant 14 may consist entirely of the non-flammable volatile agent and/or other non-flammable materials (e.g., air). In such embodiments, the propellant 14 may be described as being non-flammable. It is acknowledged that some commercially available products are marketed as being non-flammable, but they are not in fact non-flammable as the term is used herein; e.g., some commercially available products that are marketed as being non-flammable include a propellant having a material or a combination of materials that may be flammable when mixed with air in some concentrations. Dimethyl ether (DME) is an example of a flammable material that has been used in various commercially available products that have been marketed as being non-flammable. In commercially available products that include DME, the DME is typically mixed with a large amount of water that enables the product to be described as a non-flammable spray according to a flame extension test; however, because such products include a material (e.g., DME) that is flammable by itself, they are not non-flammable as the term is used herein.

The non-flammable volatile agent included in the propellant 14 includes one or more organofluorine compounds. The one or more organofluorine compounds may include: one or more trifluoropropene compounds; one or more tetrafluoropropene compounds; and/or one or more pentafluoropropane compounds. An example of an acceptable trifluoropropene compound is trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene. Examples of acceptable tetrafluoropropene compounds include: 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene; and 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene. Examples of acceptable pentafluoropropane compounds include: 1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane; 1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoropropane; and 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane. The non-flammable volatile agent may additionally include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and/or other acceptable materials. The non-flammable volatile agent embodiment may be selected so that the propellant 14 has one or more desired characteristics. For example, it may be desirable to provide a propellant 14 having a certain total pressure at a given temperature. In one embodiment, a propellant 14 having a total pressure of approximately two hundred thirty-two (232) kPa (i.e., approximately nineteen (19) psig) at approximately twenty-one degrees Celsius (21° C.) (i.e., approximately seventy degrees Fahrenheit (70° F.)) may be achieved using a non-flammable volatile agent that includes one and three-tenths (1.3) moles of a pentafluoropropane compound and seven-tenths (0.7) of a mole of a tetrafluoropropene compound. As the proportion of pentafluoropropane to tetrafluoropropene is increased, the total pressure of the propellant 14 at a given temperature generally will decrease.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the personal care medium 16 is a sunscreen medium. The present invention is not limited to use with any particular sunscreen medium or other personal care medium; in alternative embodiments, the personal care medium 16 may be a tanning medium, a shaving aid medium (which may be in the form of a foam, a gel, a post-foaming gel, a cream, a soap, an oil, etc.), or another medium for personal care.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second packaged product embodiment. In FIG. 2, the packaged product 44 includes a container 46 having an amount of a propellant 48 and an amount of personal care medium 50 stored therein. In FIG. 2, the container 46 is a piston barrier aerosol container that is substantially similar to the container 12 illustrated in FIG. 1. As indicated above, the present invention is not limited to use with piston barrier aerosol containers; other types of aerosol containers may alternatively be used.

Referring to FIG. 2, the container 46 includes, among other things, a bottom reservoir 52 and a top reservoir 54. The propellant 48 is stored within the bottom reservoir 52 of the container 46, and the personal care medium 50 is stored within the top reservoir 54 of the container 46. The propellant 48 consists entirely of a non-flammable volatile agent, and thus the propellant 48 is non-flammable. The non-flammable volatile agent may include any one of the non-flammable volatile agent embodiments described above with regarding to FIG. 1. The personal care medium 50 is a shaving aid medium that is in the form of a post-foaming gel. Post-foaming gels are known in the art, and are unique in that they dispense from an aerosol container as gel, and turn to a foam after a user agitates the gel, for example, by rubbing the gel between his or her hands or by applying the gel to a skin surface. The personal care medium 50, being a post-foaming gel, includes at least a gelling agent and a post-foaming agent. The gelling agent includes a soap-based material that forms a gel when mixed with water. The post-foaming agent is at least partially responsible for causing the post-foaming gel to turn from a gel to a foam after a user agitates it. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the post-foaming agent includes an amount of a non-flammable volatile agent, which non-flammable volatile agent may be the same as or different than the non-flammable volatile agent included in the propellant 48. The non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 includes one or more organofluorine compounds, alone or in combination with nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and/or other acceptable materials. The embodiment of the non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 may be selected to allow or cause the personal care medium 50 to have one or more characteristics. For example, the non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 may at least partially affect the viscosity, the lubricity, and/or the foaming properties of the personal care medium 50. The non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 may additionally or alternatively allow or cause the personal care medium 50 to provide a cooling sensation and/or a hydrating sensation to the user. The non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 may additionally or alternatively cause the personal care medium 50 to reduce skin swelling and associated discomfort experienced by a user. The non-flammable volatile agent included in the personal care medium 50 may additionally or alternatively act as a mild solvent and/or may enhance the efficacy of one or more functional ingredients included in the personal care medium 50. Although the personal care medium 50 is described as including a non-flammable volatile agent, in alternative embodiments a non-flammable volatile agent may be provided that is separate from, but admixable with, the personal care medium 50. In such embodiments, the non-flammable volatile agent may allow or cause an admixture of the non-flammable volatile agent and the personal care medium 50 to have one or more characteristics as discussed above. These and other features are not limited to embodiments in which the personal care medium is a post-foaming gel; the same or similar features may be achieved in embodiments in which the personal care medium is a tanning medium, a sunscreen medium, another type of shaving aid medium, etc.

The packaged product 10 in FIG. 1 and the packaged product 44 in FIG. 2 are distinguishable from one another in at least two ways: (1) the packaged product 10 in FIG. 1 includes a personal care medium 16 that is a sunscreen medium, while the packaged product 44 in FIG. 2 includes a personal care medium 50 that is a shaving aid medium in the form of a post-shaving gel; and (2) the packaged product 10 in FIG. 1 includes a personal care medium 16 that does not include a non-flammable volatile agent, while the packaged product 44 in FIG. 2 includes a personal care medium 50 that does include a non-flammable volatile agent. The packaged product 10 in FIG. 1 and the packaged product 44 in FIG. 2 are similar in that neither includes a volatile agent that is flammable. The exclusion of a flammable volatile agent from the packaged products 10, 44 may be advantageous for one or more reasons. One advantage may be that the packaged products 10, 44 may not be subject to certain government regulations. Government regulations dictate, among other things, that a plastic aerosol container may not be greater than 4 ounces in volume if it includes flammable materials. In the context of the present application, the term 4 ounces is a volumetric measure referring to 4 U.S. fluid ounces, i.e. 118.3 ml rounded to one decimal place. Because the packaged products 10, 44 exclude flammable volatile agents, the containers 12, 46 may be both plastic and greater than four ounces in volume; e.g., the bottom reservoir 32 and the top reservoir 34 of the container 12 may be made of a plastic material and may collectively define a volume that is greater than four ounces.

FIG. 3 illustrates a third packaged product embodiment. The packaged product 56 illustrated in FIG. 3 is substantially similar to the packaged product 44 illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the packaged product 56 includes a container 58 having an amount of a propellant 60 and an amount of personal care medium 62 stored therein. In FIG. 3, the container 58 is a piston barrier aerosol container that includes, among other things, a bottom reservoir 64 and a top reservoir 66. The propellant 60 is stored within the bottom reservoir 64 of the container 58, and the personal care medium 62 is stored within the top reservoir 66 of the container 58. The propellant 60 consists entirely of pressurized air, and thus is distinguishable from the propellant 48 in FIG. 2 in that it excludes a non-flammable volatile agent. The personal care medium 62 stored within the top reservoir 66 is substantially similar to the personal care medium 50 in FIG. 2. The packaged product 56 illustrated in FIG. 3 may be advantageous in that it is typically less expensive to provide a packaged product that includes a propellant consisting entirely of air than it is to provide a packaged product that includes a propellant that includes a non-flammable volatile agent.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. For instance, modifications or changes as can be made within the scope of the attached claims and features disclosed in connection with any one embodiment can be used alone or in combination with each feature of the respective other embodiments. Thus, the breadth and scope of any embodiment should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that variations and modifications can be made within the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A packaged product, comprising: a personal care medium; a propellant; an aerosol container; wherein the personal care medium and the propellant are stored with the aerosol container; wherein at least one of the personal care medium and the propellant includes a non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound.
 2. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the at least one organofluorine compound is a trifluoropropene compound.
 3. The packaged product of claim 2, wherein the trifluoropropene compound is trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene.
 4. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the at least one organofluorine compound is a tetrafluoropropene compound.
 5. The packaged product of claim 4, wherein the tetrafluoropropene compound is selected from the group consisting of: 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene; and 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.
 6. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the at least one organofluorine compound is a pentafluoropropane compound.
 7. The packaged product of claim 6, wherein the pentafluoropropane compound is selected from the group consisting of: 1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane; 1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoropropane; and 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane.
 8. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the aerosol container is a non-barrier type aerosol container.
 9. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the aerosol container is a barrier type aerosol container that includes a first reservoir, a second reservoir, and a barrier, wherein the first reservoir and the second reservoir are fluidly separated by the barrier, and wherein the personal care medium is stored within the first reservoir and the propellant is stored within the second reservoir.
 10. The packaged product of claim 9, wherein at least the first reservoir and the second reservoir of the aerosol container are made of a plastic material, and wherein the first reservoir and the second reservoir collectively define a volume that is greater than 118.3 ml.
 11. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the personal care medium is selected from the group consisting of: a sunscreen medium, a tanning medium, and a shaving aid medium.
 12. The packaged product of claim 1, wherein the non-flammable volatile agent additionally includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of: nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
 13. A packaged product, comprising: an aerosol container having at least a first reservoir and a second reservoir, the first reservoir and the second reservoir being fluidly separated by a barrier; a personal care medium stored within the first reservoir of the aerosol container; a propellant stored within the second reservoir of the aerosol container; wherein the personal care medium includes a first non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound; and wherein the propellant includes a second non-flammable volatile agent that includes at least one organofluorine compound.
 14. The packaged product of claim 13, wherein the at least one organofluorine compound included in the first non-flammable volatile agent is selected from the group consisting of: a trifluoropropene compound; a tetrafluoropropene compound; and a pentafluoropropane compound.
 15. The packaged product of claim 13, wherein the at least one organofluorine compound included in the second non-flammable volatile agent is selected from the group consisting of: a trifluoropropene compound; a tetrafluoropropene compound; and a pentafluoropropane compound.
 16. The packaged product of claim 13, wherein the first non-flammable volatile agent is the same as the second non-flammable volatile agent. 